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(No Model.)

F. S. BOUTON. TRIPOD STAND PORPHOTOGRAPHIO CAMERAS, (Sac.

No. 581,806. Patented May 4,1897.

\ Alllll" lUiviTEn STaTEs PATENT @EETCE.

FRANK S. BOUTON, OF ROCHESTER, NEXV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO \VILLIAM F.CARLTON, OF SAME PLACE.

TRIPOD -STAND FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS, 840.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,806, dated May 4,1897. Application filed December 14, 1896. Serial No. 615,655. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK S. BOUTON, of Rochester, in the county ofMonroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tripod-Stands for Photographic Cam eras and the Like, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portable tripodstands intended moreparticularly for supporting photographic cameras, such stands beingseparable and collapsible, so as to be capacitated for being disposed insmall compass for convenience in carrying; and the illvention consistsin improved means for preventing the accidental disengagement of thetripod-legs from the tripod-head during use.

The improvements are illustrated in the ac companying drawings, wherein-Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved tripod-stand; Fig. 2, a bottomView of the tripod-head, and Figs. 3 and at detail views showin g themanner of connecting and disconnecting the tripod-legs from thetripod-head.

A A are the legs of the stand, supporting the head B. Each leg A isseparable from the tripod-head and is constructed in sections, so as tobe capable of being brought into small compass. Any suitable knownconstruction of legs may be employed which enables them to be collapsed,a typical construction being illustrated in the drawings.

As shown in the drawings, each tripod-leg (of which one only is showncompletely) is composed of three sections 0, D, and E. The bottomsection O slides telescopically within the intermediate section D and isheld in any desired place by means of the set-screw a. The upper sectionE is composed of two limbs b h, each of which is pivoted at c at itslower end to the head of the intermediate section D. Consequently whenthe tripod is not in use the limbs b b of the upper section can befolded down upon the intermediate section D and the bottom section 0 canbe nested within the intermediate section 1), whereby the leg iscollapsed into a compact form. Near the upper end of each limb b of thesection E of the leg is an aperture which serves as a journal forconnecting with the tripod-head B.

The tripod-head B has on its under side near its periphery threeequally-spaced metallic brackets 61, eachot' which carries two pintlese, which extend horizontally and are located a short distance below thebottom face of the tripod-head B. These pintles 6 enter thejournal-apertures of the upper limbs Z) of the tripod-legs. In thismanner the tripod-legs are secured to the tripod-head, and since thetripod-legs are journaled on the pintles the tripod can be adjusted tobring the camera at any desired height irrespective of the character ofthe ground.

The tripod as thus far described possesses no novelty, but is similar towell-known tripods,

It is obvious that with a tripod as thus far described there is dangerof the tripod-legs becoming accidentally detached from the tripod-headduring use by reason of the upper limbs Z) Z) of the legs slipping offfrom the pintles e e. The present invention consists in particular meansfor preventing this accidental detachment of the legs from the head.Vith this end in View the tripod-head is provided on its under side withsix open recesses ff immediately above and in line with the respectivepintles e e. Each of these recesses f is of a width somewhat greaterthan the thickness of one of the limbs 12 and is of a length suflicientto allow of the free swinging of the corresponding limb b on thecorresponding pintle c. The relations between these re cesses f, thepintles e, and the upper ends of the limbs h are as follows, referencebeing had to Figs. 3 and t of the drawings:

The perpen diculardistance from the center 9 of one of the pintles e tothe under face h of the tripod-head B (that is, the distance g to h) isgreater than thedistance from the center 9 to the nearest point t 01'the side of the limb Z), the distance g to 2' being one-half of thewidth of the limb Z). Consequently when the limbs Z) are turned so as tooccupy a position parallel (or approximately parallel) with the underface h of the tripod-head B, as shown in Fig. 3, the limbs can bereadily separated from and attached to the pintles. The distance 9 to m,however, which represents the distance which the limbs I) extend abovethe centers of the pintles e, is greater than the distance g to h, sothat when the legs are turned to a position for use, as shown in Fig. 4,the upper ends of the limbs I) extend within the recesses f on the underside of the tripod-head, and consequently the limbs cannot then bedetached, accidentally or otherwise, from their respective pintles,being prevented from doing so by coming into contact with the outerwalls n of the recesses f while still engaged with the pintles e. Thelegs can be detached from the tripod-head only when they are turned to aposition approximately parallel with the tripod-head or to such an acuteangle therewith which they never occupy when in use. In this mannersimple, inexpensive, and efficient means are provided, absolutelypreventing disengagement of the legs from the head when the tripod is inuse, and, nevertheless, permitting the ready and convenient detachmentof the legs from the head at will.

I claim as my invention 1. The tripod-head having pintles below andextending parallel with the bottom thereof, and recesses in said bottomopposite each of said pintles, in combination with separable tripod-legsadapted to be journaled near their upper ends upon said pintles byslipping end- Wise along said pintles, the upper ends of saidtripod-legs swinging into and being retained in said recesses when thetripod is in position for use, and bcin g free from said recesses whenthe legs are turned into a position wherein they are incapable of useand are capable of slipping off from said pintles, substantially as setforth. 7

2. A tripod-head having recesses on its under side, and pintlesextending across said recesses respectively and located a short distance below and extending parallel with the bottom of the tripod-head,in combination with tripod-legs adapted to be journaled on said pintlesby slipping endwise along said pintles, the perpendicular distancebetween the center of a pintle and the side edge of the correspondingleg when j ourn aled thereon being less than the perpendicular distancebetween said center and the bottom face of the tripod-head, and thedistance between said pintle center and the upper end of said leg beinggreater than said distance between said centerand the bottom face of thetripod-head, whereby when the legs are turned into a position of use,their upper ends enter and are retained within said recesses,substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANK S. BOUTON. lVitnesses:

GEO. J. MAcLAUGnLIN, J. M. ALMsLEY.

